


Destined Too

by barnaby317



Series: Destiny [2]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F, Vampire AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 14:27:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7536391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barnaby317/pseuds/barnaby317
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally posted to Livejournal</p><p>Miranda isn't too pleased when someone messes with whats hers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Destined Too

**Author's Note:**

> I'm beginning to move my DWP fics from Live Journal to here.
> 
> I have since edited this slightly but if any of you lurkers saw it on livejournal you will see it's the same story just with a few spelling/grammar issues fixed.

"Her name was Heather Mitchell, the woman from the alley." Andy said as she flopped down beside Miranda.

"What woman?" Miranda asked distractedly as she finished going through the Book.

"The woman your ex-husband was snacking on before he was going to snack on me." Andy said as if Miranda should have known who and what she was talking about.

"Andrea can you not see that I am busy?"

"Do you even care?" Andy sighed. "Of course you don't, you're a vampire."

It had been two weeks since the alley/finding out Miranda's a vampire thing. They'd been dating steadily since and given that Miranda hadn't wanted to let Andy out of her sights, Andy had been staying at the townhouse nearly every night.

"Of course I care Andrea. I thought I had proven that." Miranda said as she flipped the page. Studying the next photo and without missing a beat she continued. "I am not completely heartless. It may not beat but there is a heart in this chest." She pointed to her chest.

"Right. Anyway she lived about a block from there and was on her way home apparently. Her friends volunteered an interview. They wanted to tell everyone that the savage dog needed to be hunted down and shot. It's their belief that it was a dog."

"As it should be." Miranda said non-committedly.

"You're not even committed to this discussion." She stood abruptly. "God. You're so infuriating sometimes." She paced in front of the small couch that Miranda was sitting on. "Do you care that she was a mother of three? Do you care that she was married?"

"Andrea, calm down." She sat the Book on the table beside the couch. "Yes I care that she was a mother and married. That means that three children are without a mother and a husband is without his mate." She stood and slowly reached her arms out and Andy fell into them.

That was one other thing. Andy had quickly gotten used to Miranda always being cold.

"I just can't believe it now that we have a name for her. When we first got the story we didn't know who she was or that she was married and had kids. Now it's different."

Miranda pressed a soft kiss on Andy's cheek. "Of course it is. It makes it all the more real."

"How many did you kill?"

"You do not want to know Andrea."

"So then I'm guessing it was a pretty huge number. Did you ever kill a mother?"

"Of course I did. I had no way of knowing who or what they were. I did not stalk my prey first, I just fed."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Andy sighed. "I think I'll go and take a bath."

"Very well. I am almost done with the Book" then as she glanced at the clock she added "then I will join you in bed."

_ _

v-v

She could smell the fresh clean scent of Andy's skin as she paused at the threshold to the bedroom. Allowing her eyes to roam over the bed she ascertained that Andrea, though pretending to be, actually wasn't asleep.

"I had rules when I hunted" the words fell quietly from her lips before she could stop them. Andy turned her head acknowledging that she was still awake and listening. "I did not kill women who I could see were pregnant or if I heard an extra heartbeat and I would not kill children, though they weren't all that great to feed on anyway given their small size."

"Oh" Andy made a small sound.

"I did not kill within my immediate environment, that meant travelling to the more-riskier parts of the city or completely out of the city. Apparently those rules didn't apply to the rest of my group.

I was on my way home from a hunt in a part of the city I believed to be questionable when I heard the muffled screams of a young woman, no older than you." Miranda explained as she sat on Andrea's side of the bed. "Mathias was his name. I had turned him during my very brief time in London in the early 1900's." She sighed sneaking a glance at Andy to gauge her reaction. "I naturally went to investigate the sounds that I'd heard. I saw the girl first, she looked so beautiful. She had red hair that flowed down over her chest with the deepest blue eyes that called to you. I could see in her eyes that she was pleading, begging me to save her.

This was close to fourteen years ago." She looked away from Andy's face. "I couldn't see anything more than her face that was slowly draining of all colour, of all life. Mathias, though I didn't know it was him, held her tightly in front of his body and so I didn't know that she was pregnant until it was too late.

As I drew the vampire’s attention away from the girl I saw him move slightly away and saw her distended stomach. She was quite pregnant. I then recognised him as one of my more disobedient charges, Mathias. He and I hadn't gotten along since we'd left each other in Paris some 20 or more years earlier, so he was quite eager to have it out with me, thus dropping the young woman from his grasp. It took, once realising that she was pregnant, moments for me to kill him for disobeying my rules."

"Did... Had he... was she?"

"No. She had lost a lot of blood but she wasn't dead. I scooped her up in my arms immediately and was on the way to the hospital when she suddenly screamed. She was in labour. I put her down right away after turning into another alley further down from the one we had just exited. At this point I was in my own excruciating pain. It was immensely hard not to finish the job Mathias had started but she had lost so much blood already and barely had enough left to safely deliver her child. I delivered not one but two children that night and shortly after giving birth she asked me to take care of them, though I was a total stranger and though she didn't know what I was capable of, she passed shortly after making the request. I managed to get the babies to the hospital claiming that I had come across a horrible crime whilst on my way home from work.

The mother, I claimed, had just gone into labour as I arrived after a man had brutally assaulted her. Of course it was a lie but also partially the truth."

"The twins?" Andy asked piecing together the story.

"Yes." Miranda looked sad. "This is why I tried to never hunt females. I could never tell if they were mothers or not."

"That's why you had the rule about no pregnant women?" Andy asked quietly. "How did you cover it up?"

"The twins?" Andy nodded. "I didn't. They are adopted, though no-one knows that besides the four of us and the girls' 'father'" she air quoted the word father. "I told them the story about their mother; the same one I gave the emergency room staff and Thomas, my husband at the time, they took it very well actually." Miranda's voice lightened, she always liked talking about the girls.

"I'm sorry I accused you of not caring." Andy whispered sitting up in front of Miranda.

"You could not have known Andrea." Miranda accepted the light kiss that Andy placed against her lips.

"Do they know about you?"

"Of course not. What would I tell them?"

"You're right. I really am sorry about earlier." Andy placed another kiss on Miranda's lips.

"It is fine Andrea."

Andy remembered the one phrase that Miranda had taught her in Romanian and that she could pronounce after only two weeks. "I dragoste tu"

"I love you as well Andrea."

_ _

v-v

 

After the twins had left to spend the weekend with their father that Friday night Andy sat down on the couch next to Miranda as she finished going through the book.

Miranda became distracted after Andrea had been sitting next to her for ten minutes not uttering a word, she slammed the book shut making Andy jump slightly. "Was there something you wanted Andrea?"

"No. I just wanted to be near you."

"For what purpose?" Miranda asked as she took her glasses off and placed them on top of the book.

"Just to be close."

Miranda looked closely at the younger woman's face. "There is a reason however I acknowledge that you have no desire to tell me."

"Thank you for not pushing me." Andy replied distractedly.

Miranda pulled Andrea against her right side and kissed the top of her head. "You will tell me though, won’t you?" Andrea nodded against her cheek. "I will not allow you to bottle this up until you are blaming me for inconsequential things, Andrea."

"There was another murder. Another 'animal attack'."

"You believe I am responsible."

"I know you aren't! You were here with me when it happened." Andy sighed.

"Then why are you bringing this up?"

"Because" Andy huffed and stood quickly frightening Miranda slightly. "I wonder how many more of your 'family' members are here."

"It could only be one other of my 'family' as you called them but it could be any vampire, not just one that I know." Miranda explained quietly, remaining in her seat on the couch.

Andy sighed again, standing in front of the window. As her eyes focused she saw a shadow pass under a street light with their eyes on the window where she stood. "Tell me about that one person."

"It is me. I am that person." She heard Andy gasp "however I did not kill this new victim."

"How many were there in your little group?"

"There were originally close to ten however many of them were killed very near after being turned. Benezito, Mathias and I were the only ones, that I know of, to still be alive. Mathias was killed by me, of course, almost fourteen years ago and of course Benezito was killed by me just a few weeks ago. As far as I know I am the only surviving original member."

"Oh."

"Yes." Miranda sighed.

"Well... um... ah..."

"Spit it out Andrea."

Andy fidgeted in front of the glass "I know it wasn't you. It wasn't, right?"

"Of course it wasn't. I was here with you all night."

"Okay so that leaves a new vampire in town, one that you don't know. Geesh you'd think you guys would have a directory or something."

"Well, you know I hate to disappoint you" Miranda said sarcastically, turning her attention back to the Book. "Andrea please, do not concern yourself with this."

"I concerned myself with this the minute I found out you were a vampire."

"And I regret that you have, if I could stop loving you and if I could make you forget about all of this then I would." Miranda looked over her glasses at Andy's back, she didn't need glasses after all her eyesight was perfect but they added to the human facade. "Darling, really, you do not need to involve yourself in this."

Andy turned away from the window "I've involved myself with you haven't I? I think I'm pretty involved in this."

Miranda put the Book down again and walked to where Andy still stood. Placing her arms on Andy's shoulders she kissed Andy quickly. "Darling, as I said if I could make you forget all this then I would."

"I dragoste tu."

"I love you too." Miranda kissed her again. "I may have to teach you some new phrases."

_ _

v-v

 

A dark figure stood in the darkness behind the street light, allowing the light to create more darkness that would further hide them. "I love you Andy, and that ancient bitch won’t keep us apart."

_ _

v-v

 

As the weeks turned into months Andy found herself forgetting about the vampire/animal attacks. Miranda had stressed upon her the importance of being careful at any time of the day. As she walked down the steps of the New York Mirror's office, a whole hour earlier than she'd anticipated, she listened as a voice on the other end of the phone gave her more last minute orders to be safe.

"I promise Miranda. I'll see you at home." She paused as the voice she always dreamt about on the other end of the phone said something. "I love you too." She hung up shortly after hearing the goodbye.

It would seem as if their relationship were moving very fast to the casual observer, given that they had now moved in together. It has now been four months since that night that she'd found out about Miranda.

Putting her phone into the small satchel that was slung over her shoulder, Andy continued the walk toward the subway station. She had just declined the offer of allowing Roy to come and pick her up and had promised that she would be careful. Miranda really didn't like her taking the subway for some reason and she doubted it was just for the safety reason.

Walking past the same alley where she'd found out the not quite so horrifying news of the Dragon Lady truly being a monster she saw almost the same events that led her into Miranda's arms.

The only difference wasn't that there was a female in the male vampires position it was that it was a female vampire.

Andy approached them, really ignoring Miranda's warning of being careful. "Hey." She tried to pull the vampires attention away from the young male she was currently draining. "Hey, ugly looking thing" she knew it wasn't a thing nor was it ugly, how could vampires be ugly if they were like Miranda. The vampire dropped her victim and turned to face Andy. "L...Li...Lily?" Andy stuttered.

"Hey girl. What's up?"

Andy shrugged. "Not much just saw you sucking some guys blood dry."

"No I wasn't Andy. We were just making out." Lily shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, that's why you have blood dripping down your chin." Andy scowled, the scene finally sinking in.

Lily wiped at her chin, "oh that. Well you know girls gotta eat." She walked toward Andy and put an arm around her shoulder. "How ya been Andy?"

"Yeah." Andy tried to shrug the arm off her shoulders but she could feel the pressure from Lily's obvious strength gain. "I guess I know why you haven't been answering your phone."

"Oh that. You know I just realised I can't stand phones... people are always nagging you about wanting to spend time together."

"Well Lil, I better get going." She said as she tried to turn away. "Good seeing you."

"Hey Andy, why don't you stick around for dinner? I'm still hungry."

"I'm not. Let go of me Lily." She tried shrugging off Lily's arm again.

Lily just laughed. "You know it won’t hurt so much if you don't squirm. C'mon Andy." She pulled Andy closer to her side and began walking back into the alley. "I've been waiting to get you alone. You're always with her now-a-days." She sniffed at Andy. "You even smell like her."

"Well Lily, I don't know what to tell you."

"You could tell me why, if you just decided to go gay, it wasn't me you went gay for. I've loved you for so long Andy, and now I'm gonna have the chance to show you how much I do love you." She turned Andy around facing her away from herself. "I promise I'll try to make this as painless as I can but I won’t lie to you Andy, it's gonna hurt." She whispered as she lowered her mouth to Andy's neck and began draining her best friend.

Andy screamed as the fangs pierced her jugular. "Lil please" she pleaded but the mouth never left her neck. "Miranda" was the last thing that fell from her lips.

_ _

v-v

 

Miranda had that feeling again, the one that told her that someone she loved was in danger, and she hated that feeling with a passion. She knew the only one who wasn't already under her roof was the one in danger. Andrea.

"Leigh." She called to the nanny from her place in the chair that she usually reviewed the book in while Andrea wasn't home.

"Yes Miranda?" Though the twins were almost fourteen Miranda was still uncomfortable leaving them alone, given her status as a member of the living dead, she knew what evils lurked around in New York City.

"Could you stay a while longer? There is somewhere I need to go."

"Sure." The girl agreed, the last girl to say no to Miranda after being asked that same question was long gone and looking after her sister’s kids now, or so she'd heard.

"I do not know how long I will be gone." Miranda explained as she stood walking to the door. Grabbing her coat out of the closet she continued "please sleep in the guest bedroom, I may be terribly late or may not make it home."

"Certainly, thank you." This wasn't her first time staying with the Priestly's, Miranda had often gone out late at night to visit Andy and hadn't made it home.

"Tell the girls... never mind" she said as she stepped through the door.

Scrambling up the side of the house, she could smell Andrea's fear the minute she stood on the roof of her home. She jumped over the rooftops until she began to reach the New York Mirror's office.

Andrea was afraid. That one thought was enough to send shivers down her spine and it took a lot to do that these days. Andrea was in danger and she needed to get her out of that situation. She heard Andrea whisper her name which spurred her on faster.

Standing on the roof of the last building before the alley where Andrea was she could see the scene clearly. A youngling was draining the life from the woman she loved. "Andrea." She whispered as she flung herself from the roof to the floor of the alley. She saw the youngling pull her mouth away from Andrea's neck as she landed behind them.

"You're too late, you old bitch. She's mine." Lily said immediately knowing who was there, knowing what Miranda was.

"You do know, Youngling, that you are no match for me."

"I have a name, ya know." Lily hissed.

"I do not care what your name is, you are hurting my mate therefore you will die." Miranda hissed back.

"She hated you. She absolutely hated you for ruining her life, for destroying her friendships with us." Miranda's face registered the recognition. This was Andrea's friend, the one that Andrea had been unable to contact for the last few months. "Yeah you know who I am then. Did she ever tell you about us? Her best friends?" Lily taunted while listening to Andy's weakening heartbeat.

Miranda could hear it too. "I will not let you kill her."

"I don't intend to kill her, well in that sense anyway." Lily turned and cut her finger with a dagger she pulled from the waistband of her pants.

Miranda managed to catch the hand and turn it away from Andrea before the blood dripped into her love's mouth. "I will not let you turn her either."

"Oh yeah? Ben told me it'd be hard to get what I wanted. You see, oh ancient one, I love her and I am going to have her for eternity."

Miranda literally snarled at Lily. "She is mine" she growled out through teeth that were clenched hard.

"Wrong oldie. Besides why would she want someone who looks like they’re 50 when she can have someone who looks 27? You may be older but I'm better looking."

"Andrea made her choice."

Lily sighed. This was getting old and quickly. "She didn't know that she had a choice. She didn't know of my feelings, so tell me Mezianic how could she make a choice without knowing she had one?"

"You will not call me a name by which you do not know me! Benezito told you all about me, did he?" Lily started, not expecting Miranda to react. Andy told her, once a long time ago, that Miranda never raised her voice. "Well then Youngling, you will know that I am ruthless when it comes to killing minions that did not please me. I'm sure it will be no different with you." Miranda advanced on Lily. "I believe I will take my time, torturing my victims was always the best part. Yes, torturing you will bring me great pleasure." Miranda cornered Lily.

"You don't scare me, you ancient bitch."

"Oh but you should be scared of me. Fearing me is the next best part. You see in order for torture to be effective, fear must be present. Please jump to that part quickly, I have not got time to instill the fear in you." Miranda kept advancing on Lily until the youngling was against the wall.

Miranda's attention was divided the second she heard a whispered version of her name slip from the lips of the woman she loved. "Miranda."

"Andrea, please, I cannot be distracted."

"K...ki...kill her." Andy managed to get out before again losing consciousness.

"Dorinta ta e porunca pentru mine, iubirea mea (Your wish is my command, my love)" Miranda said as she bared her teeth and attacked Lily.

Killing the youngling was easier than she thought. The girl was surprisingly weak for a newborn. It didn't take long for Miranda to get her hands on the dagger that Lily had been carrying and decapitate the young vampire.

"Andrea?" She knelt next to the woman. "Tu ai inima mea, te rog nu o distruge (You have my heart, please do not break it)." She grabbed ahold of the closest hand to her and held it tight, listening to Andrea's heart beat slowing down. "Tu esti viata mea, Andrea (You are my life Andrea)" Miranda kissed the hand that she held in her own pale, cold hand. "Iti interzic sa mori (I forbid you to die)" Time was running out and she knew she had to do something but grief was clouding her judgement. "Nu ma parasi, Andrea, te iubesc (Do not leave me, Andrea, I love you)"

"Mrana?" Andy breathed out.

"I'm here Andrea."

"I love you Mrada"

"I love you too." She kissed Andy softly and quickly on the lips. "Andrea I hope you will not resent me for this." She slit her wrist along the vein with the same dagger that she had killed the youngling with and put her wrist to Andrea's mouth. "Bea, Andrea mea (Drink, my Andrea)" She smiled slightly as Andrea instinctively began sucking. "I really hope you won’t resent me for this."

 

_ _

v-v

Carrying her beloved back to the townhouse, Miranda landed on the balcony off of her bedroom and placed Andy on the bed. She knew that she hadn't been quiet when she landed on the roof of the townhouse so it didn't surprise her when she heard footsteps on the stairs leading down to her floor. Using her preternatural speed, she changed into her nightgown and pulled Andy under the covers with her.

"Mom?"

"What is it Cassidy?" She feigned sleepiness.

"I heard something on the roof."

"I'm sure it was nothing." Miranda rolled toward her daughter letting Andrea go. "Go back to bed Bobbsey."

"What's wrong with Andy?" Cassidy asked spying Andy's unconscious form almost face down on the bed.

"She wasn't feeling well. I had to go and pick her up from work. She is very tired Cassidy."

"I get the picture Mom. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight my darling."

_ _

v-v

 

Andrea was dead.

Miranda didn't like that idea.

Early the next morning Andy's heart finally stopped beating. It had been weak all through the night and only kept getting weaker as morning neared. Caroline and Cassidy both asked after Andrea that morning at breakfast but she just told them to stay out of her bedroom until Andrea was feeling better.

It was not going to be a pleasant feeling, leaving Andrea for the white walls of her office at _Runway_ , in fact in the words of her teenage daughters, it was going to totally reek. There was nothing that she'd be able to do at home anyway. It would take Andrea a few days to fully transform, if it had been successful of course. She would wake intermittently for a taste of blood but would be unconscious for a day and a half at least. Miranda hoped that her daughters would heed her warning and stay away from the bedroom.

For Miranda, formally Mezianic Preznio, formally Mary Sînge, going through the motions was the easy part, she'd been doing it for over 200 years, keeping her mind off of her dead lover was the hardest part. Being a vampire had taken a lot of things away from her but her ability to love and care for people. It had always astounded her when she found herself caring about another vampire or even a human. She hadn't been able to ask anyone why it was so, she just knew it was.

And sometimes it scared her.

When she found herself falling in love with Andrea she knew that the first thing she needed to do was put distance between herself and the silly, frumpy girl without any fashion sense. She had considered not hiring Andrea but something told her that she needed to keep this girl close, and really it was a good thing she did. Up until last night.

She hated herself for not being able to protect the woman she loved. She should have insisted that Roy pick her up from work instead of just allowing Andrea to tell her she'd be fine. Perhaps if she had done that, then Andrea would not be... Miranda really hated saying this when it applied to the girl... dead.

"Emily"

Emily, the first Emily (not the second rate Andrea), appeared in her doorway. "Yes Miranda?"

"Have whatever her name is go to Calvin Klein and get the skirts, I want coffee also. I am not going to lunch with Irv today, cancel it. Have Roy pick me up at 11:45, I will be dining elsewhere today, and no you will not know where." She further rattled off a rather long list of demands trying to keep her mind off of Andrea.

"Yes Miranda."

"That's all."

_ _

v-v

By 12:15 she was sitting on her bed with her wrist to Andrea's mouth. Perhaps the extra blood, that was flowing into Andrea's mouth but not being suckled, would speed up the process, or so Miranda hoped. It really was killing her all over again not knowing if this would work.

After feeding Andrea, she went back to the office where her day didn't get any better. Keeping her mind off of Andrea, after lunch, proved almost as impossible as it had that morning. Nigel came to her shortly after three looking for some inspiration, Miranda had no idea what she could provide. She could only think of Andrea.

"What do you think about this?" He produced a layout for the cover.

"It is very dull Nigel, even for you."

"Why thank you. I don't know if to take that as a compliment or not. You look a little distracted Miranda, trouble with Six?" Nigel always was the only one to ask personal questions, or questions of any kind.

"No my friend." He was also a vampire which helped. "Andrea is dead."

"Turn her did you?"

"No, well yes I did, but I had no choice. A youngling had drained her too much to take her to the emergency room and I could not let her die." Miranda whispered.

Nigel had been around for nearly as long as she had but he preferred to concentrate his feeding in one part of town, commonly known as the 'gay side of town'. They had met in England in the early 1880's. Nigel was a very young vampire then and she had taught him a thing or two about hunting. "So what happened?"

"It appears that one of Andrea's friends was turned by Benezito when he visited me. She had then developed a plan to have Andrea for the rest of eternity." Miranda sighed she was grateful that he had sensitive hearing so that she barely had to speak. This story was not something she wanted the Emily's to hear. "Andrea had insisted that she would catch the subway train home and was walking to the subway station, I assume, when her friend caught her and was in the process of being drained when I arrived. Until Andrea wakes I will not know what happened properly."

"Is the youngling dead?" Nigel asked quite curious as to what she had done to the woman that had tried to kill her lover.

"Of course. Andrea managed to tell me to kill the youngling. She was so weak Nigel. I watched over her all night. I watched my love die."

"She will come through this." Nigel tried to reassure.

"I will need some help if she does. She will be too disoriented to know what's going on when she wakes."

"Call me when you need me. Now what do you think I should do with this layout?" He asked in a normal tone.

"There are so many things Nigel. Deal with it."

_ _

v-v

"Mom!"

"What Caroline?" Miranda asked as she hung her coat in the closet.

"Andy's been moaning your name all afternoon." Caroline explained coming to a halt in front of her.

"Really? And how would you know that Darling?"

Caroline became nervous under Miranda's gaze. "I um... we umm... were sitting outside of your room waiting for Andy to wake up. We never went in I swear."

"Have you finished your homework?" Caroline nodded "has your sister?" Caroline again nodded. "You may watch television in the family room Caroline. Do not come upstairs."

"Yes Mom." Caroline sighed.

The girls had actually grown quite attached to Andrea in the time that they had been dating. They didn't like not knowing how Andy was or what was happening. Obviously they were going to be kept out of the loop this time too.

As soon as Cassidy heard the word T.V mentioned she joined her sister in the family room. "What's going on?"

"Mom wouldn't tell me."

"Did you tell her we heard Andy moaning?" Cassidy asked suspiciously.

"Of course but she still wouldn't tell me Cass. I don't like this."

"I don't either but if Andy's really sick then Mom's obviously worried and trying to protect us."

"Yeah but we're fourteen, we don't need protecting so much anymore."

"Point taken. I wish she'd tell us." Cassidy sighed turning her head toward the television.

"Me too Cass."

_ _

v-v

Miranda knew that the girls were trying to get information out of her about Andrea’s sudden illness and she knew that Andrea would not have been moaning for her. Andrea is dead. There could not possibly be moaning coming from her mouth. Knowing that her daughters would be waiting to hear her walking up the stairs and wanting to check on Andrea, Miranda walked up and into her bedroom.

The thought of seeing the form of her deceased lover laying on the bed certainly hadn’t gotten easier during the day and therefore she was dreading walking into the bedroom. Seeing Andrea did make her feel better but didn’t wash away the feeling of sadness that came over her as she entered.

It was time for another feeding. Slitting her wrist along the vein Miranda held the arm to Andrea’s mouth hoping that this time Andrea would be a willing participant rather than allowing the blood to flow through her open lips and down her throat. A flood of relief ran through her when Andrea began sucking at the wound.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since the woman in her arms was bled dry by a youngling and would most likely be another twenty-four before Andrea awoke with new senses and no heartbeat. That was not something Miranda wanted to think about. She would just accept it when it happened.

What she had done for Andrea during the day, the premature feedings, was not a common practice when turning human’s. Usually they were buried or left where they were and allowed to turn on their own, they were not fed before they had finished the transformation. Andrea was special, in more ways than one, than most of the vampires she had turned. She was the only one that Miranda had truly loved throughout the centuries and though Miranda was reluctant to turn the girl she accepted that they would have many more centuries to spend together.

_ _

v-v

 

Nigel was waiting for her the next morning when she arrived at her office. “How’s Six?”

“No longer a six, Nigel.” Miranda sighed as she reached for the coffee cup that was placed on the glass top of her desk. “She lost a lot of weight during the day yesterday. Her body is transforming much too quickly.”

“You’re feeding her, aren’t you?” He asked accusingly.

“Of course I am and I know it’s not common but I needed to do it. It is alarming not knowing what the outcome will be.”

“Do you think the reason that her awakening is going too quickly is because *you’re* feeding her?” Miranda looked at him puzzled. “Mez, you’re not a usual, garden variety vampire either and you know it. You’ve always had your rules but why do you think you have them in the first place?”

“I don’t follow Nigel.”

“Your own transformation was an accelerated one, wasn’t it?” Miranda nodded. “I thought I remembered you telling me that once” Nigel looked at her again pointedly. “What if whatever was done to you has transferred to her?”

“That is an interesting point Nigel. I will consider it. In any case I will only be working for half a day today, yes Emily knows. I need to be there just in case she wakes early.”

“Why did you come in at all then? You could still run things from your office at home.”

Miranda sighed “I have a meeting with Irv that I couldn’t put off. It’s about the budget for the Florida shoot.”

Nigel smiled knowingly. “If it wasn’t for our illustrious Chairman you would have stayed home.”

“Exactly.”

_ _

v-v

 

Miranda rolled her eyes minutely, no one would have been able to see the action anyway. This meeting with Irv was taking too long.

“… I want you to see my point Miranda.” Irv rattled on. She never stuck to the budget, no matter how many meetings they had about it.

“Mr Ravitz” his assistant interrupted.

“Yes Melania?”

“Ms Priestly has a phone call from _Runway_.”

Miranda was the one to answer. “Tell them I am on my way. Irv, I do apologise.”

“We both know you don’t Miranda but I’ll accept. This meeting is not finished.” He got out before she walked completely away from the outer office.

Arriving back at _Runway_ , Emily, the second rate version of Andrea, gave her the message, “Nigel needed to speak with you immediately.”

“I will go to him then. I will not be back in my office Emily, have the other Emily make note of it and tell her not to contact me unless it is an absolute emergency. Where is she, I do not believe the stupidity.” Miranda ranted as she walked into her office to collect her phone and some polaroids of a photo shoot to review. “Nigel will be up here when I leave. He will handle any needs and enquiries.” She continued as she walked back into the main office and spotted Emily, the real one, sitting back behind her desk. “Coat, bag.”

_ _

v-v

 

“Nigel?”

Nigel started at the voice coming from right behind him. “Mez, you scared the shit out of me.”

“I would apologise though you know I don’t.”

“I know. Even with the extra strength sense of smell you still manage to sneak up on me.”

“What is it you needed me for Nigel?”

“The meeting went for ages, I thought you could use the reason to escape. You’re a little anxious.”

Miranda sighed “you’re right I am anxious. Thank you my friend. Can you handle things while I am away?”

“I’ll be on my way up there as soon as you leave me.”

_ _

v-v

She had been sitting next to the window, for what seemed to be an eternity, reading and editing articles when Andy’s eyes fluttered open.

“Andrea?” Miranda whispered too quietly.

Andy’s head flew around to look at her. “Miranda?” Andy took a moment to process the changes she could feel that had happened. “What happened?”

“What do you remember?”

Andy tried to think “Lily.” She whispered as if that was all she needed to say.

“Yes.”

“So, I’m what? Human or vampire?” Andy asked tersely.

“Vampire, unfortunately.”

“You say that with a strange expression, Miranda, why?”

Miranda looked out to the street below and whispered “because I didn’t want this for you.”

“Want what? I can hear you even when you barely speak Miranda.” Andy said the last part with a little too much excitement.

“You should hate me.” Miranda said almost to herself.

“Why?”

Miranda looked at her “I am the one that turned you into the monster that you are.” She pointed to her wrist that was just sealing over from the last feeding. “This blood is what made you.”

“You think I care about that?”

“No, but I do.”

There was silence between them for a long while. Andy was the one to break it. “What happened? The other night I mean.”

Miranda turned back to the window. “She drained you, with every intention of turning you.”

“I remember telling you to kill her but the last thing I remember was telling you I love you.”

“Yes. I had to turn you myself. You had lost too much blood to go to a hospital and you wouldn’t have survived even if I had gotten you to one. You have been dead for two days.”

“Oh God. Do the girls know?” Andy thought immediately of the twins before anyone else, it warmed Miranda that they had such a good relationship.

“No. They think you have been ill. I have forbidden them from coming into this room.” Miranda turned to Andy with a serious expression on her face. “You must not interact with them.”

“Umm… why?”

“You will not stand to hear the beating of their hearts nor smell the blood flowing through their veins. It will be unbearable.”

“How do you do it then?”

“Centuries of practice.” Miranda stated evenly. “I am around humans every day, it has become easy for me to ignore it.”

“Oh.” Andy sighed. “When will it pass? The girls will get very suspicious.”

“They will. It will pass with training, you will need to control your breathing and thirst and the only way to do that is by exposing you little by little.” Miranda stood and walked to the bed sitting on the edge she asked “do you hate me Andrea?”

“No. I love you, I’m glad that hasn’t changed.” Andy leant forward and kissed her solidly. "You're not so cold anymore."

"We have the same temperature now Andrea. I will never be cold to you again. I won’t have to worry about hurting you anymore either."

"How can you hurt something that's as strong as you?" Andy asked rhetorically.

However, Miranda answered anyway "quite easily actually."

"Did you really kill her?" Andy asked looking Miranda straight in the eyes.

"Yes."

"Man, I'm hungry." Andy chuckled quietly, changing the subject.

"The girls began their summer vacation today and are with their father for the whole summer. We will hunt in a moment meu dragă. (my dearest)"

"Will I actually have to kill them?"

"You cannot leave evidence Andrea."

"Your rule or a rule in general?" Andy asked sheepishly.

"A general consensus amongst vampires is that you will do everything possible to cover your tracks. We cannot risk getting caught."

"So not only do I have to drain them completely but I have to...do what?" Andy asked with a shrug.

"Burn the bodies."

"Really? Is that why so many 'animal attacks' have happened because no-one burned the bodies?" Andy asked watching Miranda meticulously tidying up the space she'd used that afternoon as a work space.

"Possibly." Was the answer that fell from Miranda's lips though she didn't turn away from her task.

"Where will we go?"

"For your first time, we will go to the woods in the west of the state."

"Why the woods? I mean you don't drink animal blood, do you?" Andy asked scrunching up her nose as she said 'animal blood'.

"No. There are small towns situated around the area. The deaths will not be linked to us and since they are 'animal attacks' there won’t be a second thought about it."

"Oh."

"Let me change and then we will go. Will you be offended if I 'rub in' my preternatural abilities again?" Miranda asked the last part while throwing Andy's words back at her from a few months ago.

"Not really, I mean I have the same abilities now, right?" Andy asked not sure of what the answer would be.

Miranda walked into the walk in closet and exited a second later dressed in a pants and blouse combination. "I don't know but we will soon find out."

 

_ _

v-v

 

Walking out of the backdoor to the townhouse Miranda whispered to Andy "we will be running very quickly, you must stay away from the roads."

"Wouldn't want to dent someone's car" Andy almost breathed forgetting Miranda had extra-strength hearing like she now had.

"You wouldn't, that would mean getting caught." Miranda warned her.

"Is it always going to be rules, rules, rules?"

"Until you learn. Do you really want to end up like your friend?"

Andy sighed at that. She really didn't want to be like Lily. Hell if she had a choice she wouldn't even want to be like Miranda. "No I guess not."

"Andrea you must understand something. I am the way I am because of my rules and the general consensus amongst us. If I didn't have my rules, I would be much more a monster than I am." Miranda turned and started running.

"Miranda wait..." Andy barely whispered and only finished her sentence when Miranda was out of sight "how do I run that fast?"

What she hadn't expected was the whispered reply that came from miles ahead of her. "You will know as soon as you try."

So try she did. It was almost as if she had just thought the action and suddenly she was speeding past houses as if they weren't really there. She knew the instant that she caught up to Miranda, she could smell the scent of the older woman, but try as she might she couldn't slow down. "Miranda" she said in a quiet voice "how do I stop?"

"The same way you started, Andrea."

"Okay legs stop." Andy whispered feeling like an idiot. She slowed down marginally. She could hear Miranda chuckling as she came up beside her. Once they'd stopped Andy looked around at where they were. They'd hit the western most part of New York city within 15 minutes. "Beats taking the subway."

"It does. Come, we still have further to go." Miranda led the way further out of the city. "It gets easier. The more you do it, the more effortless it becomes."

"I guess the same goes for everything else." Andy suddenly stopped.

Surprised by the sudden stop Miranda turned and came back to Andy's side. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. There's just a very overwhelming smell wafting around me." Andy sighed not being able to as yet place the smell.

Miranda sniffed the air slightly. "Ah... Being as old as I am that smell is second nature to me. I do not notice it as much. I should have remembered that it would overwhelm you."

"But what is it?"

"Silence Andrea. What do you hear? Concentrate."

Andy concentrated for a moment but couldn't hear anything. "Nothing."

"You are not concentrating hard enough. Try again." Miranda encouraged.

"I hear..." she paused as she listened intently. "...a heartbeat."

"Now try harder, do you hear any more than one?"

Andy concentrated harder still. "Will I always have to concentrate this hard?"

"No, this too will become effortless the more you practice. Is there any chance of someone sounding an alarm?"

"You already know the answer, why make me do it?"

"I will not always be with you Andrea. Now concentrate!"

"I hear two others... no three. Four total."

"Now concentrate on your sense of smell. What is it that you smell, tell me."

"I smell the woods and two smells I can't place..."

"Have you ever had a very big cut Andrea?" Andy nodded "remember the smell afterwards? The smell of your own blood."

"So it's blood that I smell but what's that other smell?"

"Animal blood. Animals who happen to be herbivores, deer etcetera have less iron in their blood and therefore have a different smell. There are deer off toward the east drinking at a stream. Carnivores have slightly more iron and smell closer to humans but humans will always create a greater pull because it was 'human' blood..."she air quoted human "that created you and it is human blood that a preternatural body craves to keep it strong. Human blood is the best source of strength for us." Miranda explained.

"And you know that how?"

"I lived on animal blood for a long time while I was still in Romania during my early years. I could not draw suspicion to our camp." Miranda looked at her. "My body craved human blood so much that it was a constant struggle to be around my biological children."

"So the craving, for human blood, never goes away?"

"No. Tell me in what direction the smells are coming from. Exclude the woods. Then tell me the direction of the heartbeats."

"East and northwest."

"Is it the same for the heartbeats?" Andy again nodded. "Good what direction are..." Before she could finish the sentence Andy had shot off in the direction of the humans. Miranda knew there to be only two heartbeats, one each, but if Andrea wasn't careful and attacked too early, the second human would run toward the town. "Do not act on your thirst Andrea." Miranda whispered hoping it would get through to Andrea in her thirst induced haze.

As she came to a stop on the edge of the clearing Andy heard Miranda's warning and remembering the warning from earlier about someone sounding an alarm Andy waited for Miranda. They would have to attack together so that the other human wouldn't run, not that she or Miranda couldn't catch him, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Miranda came up beside her then. "Tell me how to attack without them seeing me." Andy whispered urgently. She could feel the thirst taking over now that they were within her grasp.

"The same way you got here. You move faster than they do Andrea. Use that to your advantage but remember you are quite a lot stronger than them also, do not kill them before you feed, the heart needs to beat."

"Right, speed and strength, got it." Andy moved off toward the camping hunters.

"Be cautious Andrea." Miranda spoke softly enough that only Andrea would hear. She had promised herself that she would keep the girl safe before she was turned and now she vowed that she would keep the promise and not fail a second time. Willing to use Andrea's presence to her advantage Miranda decided to have a little fun with this hunt. "Andrea I wish to have a little fun. Do not interrupt me."

"Fine but I'm hungry." Came the quiet reply.

"You may waste the opportunity but I have not had fun hunting in a long time." No reply came from the other side of the small camp but she saw Andrea moving in from the corner of her vision. "Take the smaller one, you aren't used to this."

"I'm not weak anymore."

"I was not saying you are Andrea, simply that you are young and inexperienced."

"FINE!" Andy hissed.

Miranda watched as Andrea moved in closer to the camp looking intently at the younger of the two males. "Follow your instincts, meu dragă. (My dearest)" She waited until Andrea was already attacking the men to move in herself.

Seeing Andrea attack his son, the other man fled, just as Miranda knew he would. Following him out of the woods, she stalked him and made no secret of the fact that there was a second attacker.

Miranda watched as the man stumbled down a slight slope in the ground. Darting around in front of him once he'd picked himself up she showed herself.

Off in the slight distance she could hear Andrea finishing her meal and growing frustrated at the unsated hunger. Knowing that if she didn't hurry Andrea would go looking for another meal Miranda attacked. Grabbing the man around his throat with her hands she turned him around so that she had better access to his jugular. Attaching her mouth to his neck she heard Andrea coming up to them.

Squeezing the mans throat a little harder she pushed more blood into her mouth. All the while allowing Andrea to watch. "That is so hot Miranda." Andy whispered.

Pulling away from her meal Miranda asked the one question she hoped Andrea would have remembered to do. "Did you burn the body?"

"Yes. Lucky for me they had a camp fire. I forgot to bring a lighter or something."

"Good. I have had enough of him. You may finish him." She offered knowing that Andy was trying hard to fight off her thirst.

"Thanks but I know you have to be hungry. Besides this might give me the start to the thirst controlling I need to do."

"True." Miranda picked up the man and resumed feeding.

"I mean I wanna get this under control so that I can be around the twins again." She looked intently at the scene before her. "Am I supposed to be this turned on from watching this?" She mused allowed. She heard Miranda let out a slight throaty chuckle. "What? You find this amusing? C'mon seriously Miranda, is this normal?"

As she asked the question Miranda finished the man completely. "No it isn't but nothing about you is normal Andrea."

"Hey!"

"It is the truth Andrea. nothing about your transformation was normal. It is not common for one vampire to drain a human and another to turn that same human nor is it common that a transforming vampire be cared for in the first days or be fed by the vampire that turned them more than once." Miranda turned away from her to start the body burning. "You are not alone in being unique amongst us. I too am not an average vampire, though I know nothing of why or how, all I know is that my transformation was accelerated in the same manner as yours."

"Oh...um...I didn't know that."

"Of course you didn't. Nigel is the only one I have ever told." Miranda said rather distractedly as she watched the body burning.

"Nigel?" Andy asked surprised. "Nigel knows you're a vampire?"

"He has known since the early 1880's."

Andy thought over that. "So he's one too then."

Miranda turned and rolled her eyes at Andrea. "If he is not a vampire then he is the best looking 120 odd year old person I have ever seen. He also knows about you."

"Knows about me in the you and me sense or the vampire sense."

"Both."

"So what was his human name?"

"Alexander."

"Has he always been bald?"

"Yes and stop asking questions Andrea."

"Why?"

Nigel surprised her by answering himself. "Because you can ask me yourself."

"Hey Nigel."

"Hi Six. How ya been?"

"Dead." Andy answered dryly.

Miranda sighed. "Do not joke Andrea." She stalked off toward the denser part of the woods.

"It's true."

Nigel stood next to her and whispered straight into her ear so that it would block Miranda's hearing. "It's killing her all over again. She sees your death as a failure to protect you. She really loves you Six."

"Huh." Andy exclaimed. "That explains why she thinks I should hate her."

Miranda returned then. "You should hate me."

"Why though Miranda. Lily's the one that killed me, not you. You, in fact, saved me." Andy stepped up close to Miranda. "You gave me life again. You have given me the opportunity to love you longer than just the few months we had."

Miranda looked into the dark brown eyes before her "it was a purely selfish act."

"I love you Miranda, that much hasn't changed and no matter how much I try I can't hate you. With Alexander as my witness" she looked at Nigel "great name by the way." She looked back at Miranda "I can't help but to love you."

Miranda leant in and kissed Andy hard. "Si eu te iubesc. Acum si pentru totdeauna. (I love you also. Now and forever.)"

Andy scrunched her face in unfamiliarity. "Okay I got the first part."

"I love you also. Now and forever." Miranda repeated again.

Nigel cleared his throat before Andy had a chance to lean in and plant a kiss on Miranda again. “Ladies, I hate to break this loving moment up but company will arrive soon. Someone obviously saw the smoke rising from the forest.”

Miranda let go of Andy immediately. “I sense five among the group.”

“Your senses are still as strong as ever, I see, Mez.”

“Mez?” Andy asked confused.

“Nigel believes he is allowed to shorten my human name.” Miranda explained. “He does it to annoy me.”

“Hey, it beats trying to pronounce Mezianic.”

“Shouldn’t you know her as Mary?” Andy interrupted “I mean she changed her name before she met you.”

“Ben used to call her by her name, he never liked that she changed her name. I kind of picked it up and it stuck.” Nigel explained.

“Quiet.” Miranda concentrated on the sounds coming from the west of their position. “We must leave.”

Andy followed after her when she took off in the direction they had come from. Nigel was right behind her. “Six?”

“What?” Andy asked as soon as she stopped.

“I was testing you.” Nigel came up beside her. “You can talk while you’re running you know. You don’t need air so talking without having to catch your breath is pretty effortless.”

“Oh.” Andy exclaimed as she began running again to catch up with Miranda.

The small group broke off as they hit the city limits, Nigel preferring to head off to his apartment rather than to follow them to the townhouse.

“Andrea?” Miranda called from the balcony, having beaten Andy to the townhouse.

Andy looked up and this time without having to ask and make herself look stupid Andy tried jumping up to the balcony, however she over jumped and landed on the roof. “Not bad for a first time.” She jumped down onto the balcony. “I need to get some clean clothes on. I smell like blood.”

“You would. You have not changed clothes since being bitten and therefore have remnants of blood on your shirt. Also you were very sloppy at dinner tonight Andrea.” Miranda added with a teasing lilt in her voice.

“Very funny Miranda or should I call you Mez?”

“You would not dare Andrea.”

“Oh wouldn’t I?” Andy walked into the bedroom and threw her clothes on the floor. “I’ll pick those up in a minute. Will I still smell dead if I have a shower?” She turned the water on anyway.

Miranda sat on the side of the bed heavily. She really didn’t like it when Andrea joked about being dead. “No. You will not smell dead at all no matter whether you have a shower.”

Andy heard the slight hint of sadness in Miranda’s voice. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to stop.”

“Please do. It is not a pleasant feeling hearing you talk about death as if you welcomed it.”

Andy came out of the bathroom freshly showered and naked. “I do actually. I haven’t ever felt so good.” Walking into the walk-in closet Andy picked out a pair of her pajama’s to put on. By the time she stepped into the main room again Miranda was in bed in what Andy assumed was nothing.

“You do not need to wear those hideous creations to bed tonight.” Came the soft reply to seeing Andy fully clothed.

“Fine, I’ll take them off again.” She said with a grin as she reached for the buttons on the shirt.

“Perhaps…” Miranda said as she sat up letting the comforter slide down to her hips. “You would allow me to assist you.” She kissed Andy as she reached for the hands that were covering the buttons.

“Mmm.” Andy mumbled as Miranda pulled the buttons free agonisingly slow.

Miranda was startled as Andy pulled suddenly out of their kiss. “What is it a mea draga?”

“This is kinda silly of me but I just realised that if we go through with this it will be our first time. You’ve put off my advances for three months Miranda.”

“Because I was afraid I would injure you. Andrea there is no need to be careful anymore, I will not break and nor will you. That was my main concern while you were still human.” She leant in and kissed Andy again. “We do not have to do this if you are not comfortable with it.”

“No I want to but…” She trailed off.

“But?” Miranda prompted.

“But…I mean…this won’t just be my first time with you but my first time with a woman. What if I do something wrong?” She looked down ashamed.

“Andrea, look at me.” Miranda put a finger under Andy’s chin and lifted her face to look at her. “You will not hurt me and I will not hurt you. We are together and that is all that counts. If this is not a pleasant experience then so be it, we will get better at it.” Andy chuckled. “What is amusing you this time Andrea?”

“Though, and excuse me for saying this, I’m dead and a lot of things have changed I still get insecure about sex.”

Miranda sighed. “Then tonight we will not do anything. We will when you are ready.”

“Umm okay but can we…umm…still sleep together?”

“No.” Andy looked at her abruptly, disappointed. “We will not sleep, we will rest together. You no longer need to sleep. Occasionally you will require rest but not sleep.”

“You had me worried there for a second.” Andy sighed, relieved, as she crawled into the bed not bothering to put her top back on. “For the record, and you probably already noticed, but I don’t wear a pajama top. Usually I just wear a tank tee.”

“I had noticed. I thought perhaps you were going to change your style tonight.” Andy shook her head. “Ah then the top was for my benefit.” Andy this time nodded. “I need to review the book. I will be right back.”

Andy watched as Miranda raced out of the bedroom and in a flash returned with the book in hand. “What can I do while you’re doing that?”

“You used to sleep while I did this.” She looked at the book menacingly. “There is a hidden television in the chest of drawers. You may watch it but do not have the sound too loud.”

“Why is it hidden?” Andy asked as she accepted the remote from Miranda. “Oh right teenage girls.”

“Partly and mostly because when you read at ten times, or more, faster than the average human you are left with nothing to do when you finish.”

“Ah.” Andy suddenly got it. “The book doesn’t take you half as long as you’ve made it seem these past few months.”

“Mmm” Miranda agreed “I needed something with which to distract me from your body.”

Andy fell silent as she watched some silly program that was always on at that time of the night. Breaking her silence, she whispered very lowly “would you ever have made love to me if I hadn’t been turned?”

“It is possible I may have given in eventually. We will never know.”

“Would you have turned me if Lily hadn’t?” Andy turned her eyes toward Miranda. “Dumb question, of course you wouldn’t have.”

“You are right, I wouldn’t have. I had no intentions of turning you just to have you leave me when you were bored with me in a hundred years time.” Was the icy reply.

“Is that what happened with your husband when you turned him?”

“No. I do not wish to talk about it Andrea.”

“Too bad lady. We’re talking about it.” Andy forcefully took the book from her hands. “Why?”

“Benezito’s turning was an accident. I bit him and realized what I had done, I knew for the sake of my children that I could not let him die completely so I turned him. It was in the early 1870’s when I came across Elisa in France. I became very fixated with her. Benezito was very jealous. I began to ‘stalk’ her. I would watch her as she slept, I would stand on the limbs of the trees and watch her as she worked in the fields during the day. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.” She paused in her explanation. “One night she was out working late when she came across Benezito feeding on a farm hand close to where she was.

I naturally was very enamoured with her and would do anything to protect her, much like with you.

Knowing that if I had moved earlier Elisa would have seen me. Jumping from a tree at full preternatural speed is dangerous, so I stayed in my hiding place. I swung from the trees and scooped her into my arms before Benezito had a chance to notice her. Once she was safely back in her bedroom she thanked me though she thought it was strange that I was so strong and fast.

That was when we began to speak to each other. I would appear at her window every night and we would talk. She was a widow at the age of 33. Her husband had died from the Plague just a few months earlier and she was lonely. They had not had children though they had been married for some time so Elisa was left to do all the work on her own with only one farm hand, her husband’s nephew.

I soon fell in love with her and when one night she had opened her window for me I allowed my body to react. She had explained to me a few days before that she knew I was different but didn’t care why or how, she was just glad that she had someone to keep her company. I told her that night that I was a vampire, I told her all about myself and she accepted it. She then told me she was in love with me, or so she said. We allowed our bodies to come together and we made love. In the early 1870’s.” Miranda looked then at Andy to gauge her reaction.

“So you made love to a human and what?”

“I killed her.” Miranda looked away. “I bit her in a moment of intense passion and drained her before I realized what had happened. I had not learnt to control my urges by that point so I was very careless.

When I drew back from her body I noticed that her heart had stopped and immediately I slit my wrist and made her drink. It took her four days to fully transform.”

“So she’s the one you spent a hundred years with before she left.” Andy added.

“Yes. I was in love with her, very deeply, but she grew ‘bored’ around the time I started working at _Runway_ claiming that she wanted to explore more of the world. I heard not long after she left, from a friend of mine in Italy, that she had been killed by a Slayer.”

“Um Slayer?”

“Another preternatural being, but human. One girl in all the world from each generation blah, blah. I have it written somewhere. I met a man when I was first turned that called himself a Watcher, he was… quite useful, for many things. He told me of what I was, instead of immediately killing me. He somehow knew that I was different than an average vampire. A slayers job is to kill vampires and other demons. I have yet to meet one but I know they exist.”

Andy looked at Miranda and noticed that she had a thoughtful look on her face. “Miranda what are you thinking?”

“I was thinking that perhaps if I could find another of these watchers I might be able to find out why I am different and why, by proxy, you as well.”

“Why we had an accelerated transformation you mean?”

“Yes. It has puzzled me for two centuries. I never did find out why that man knew more about me than I did, how he knew I was different. Also why I can fall in love and care for humans. Being in love with vampires is not quite so uncommon but that too puzzles me.”

"Well I'm not sure I wanna hunt one down for you to find out." Andy said with a smile.

Miranda looked her in the eye. "Truthfully I'm not too sure I actually want to." she reached for the book which Andy handed back to her. "Andrea. I do hope you wont leave like Elisa."

"I can't promise you eternity, well I could if you were human, I can't promise to not wake up in a hundred years time and tell you I'm bored. All I can say is that I will love you now and for as long as I am able." She kissed Miranda's cheek. "Now, I'm going to watch this horrid television show and leave you to the book."

_ _

v-v

 

"Hey Andy, it's good to see you up and about." Caroline greeted as Andy walked down the stairs.

It had taken her almost the whole time the twins were gone but with Miranda's help she had managed to somewhat control herself around humans. "Thanks Caroline. Where's Cassidy?"

"Unpacking still. Really we're so opposite it's unbelievable. I have the girlier name and I'm more of a tomboy where as she has the more masculine name and she's more a girl." Caroline babbled.

"Okkkaaaay. I'm just gonna read the paper." Andy picked up the paper and watched as Miranda walked to her daughter and kissed the top of her head.

"Good morning darling. When did you get home?"

"Late. Cass and I went straight to bed. We didn't wanna wake you." Caroline put a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. "When do you go back to work Andy?"

"Next week. I'm finally well enough. Greg, my boss, didn't want me back at work until I was totally, one hundred and fifty percent healthy again."

"Cool." Caroline finished her cereal and exclaimed "well I'm going to go get a start on getting ready for school. See you later."

"Good morning a mea draga" Miranda kissed her heavily on the lips.

It had also been just as long since their discussion about sex. Almost three frustrating months. "Good morning draga mea. (My love)" Andy greeted when they broke apart.

"Your Romanian is getting better."

"Mulţumesc (thank you)." Miranda had been teaching her while they had nothing to do during the nights and now that her memory was somewhat more improved Andy mastered every word that Miranda had said to her since being turned without Miranda having to repeat herself. Of course Miranda did have to translate for her though.

"Foarte bine."

"Okay that one I don't know."

"Very good." Miranda looked up as she heard rumbling on the stairs.

"Mom?" Cassidy came into the kitchen. "Caroline and I are going shopping with Leigh today to get our note books and things for school. We already called her and she's on her way."

"I will have Roy come and drive you."

"We already called him and he said he didn't mind." Caroline cut in before Cassidy.

"We'll be home before dinner."

"Have fun darling's" Miranda said turning her eyes back to Andy. "I do believe we have the house to ourselves for a few hours." Miranda kissed Andy again.

"Well then let’s go upstairs."

Sweeping Andrea up in her arms Miranda carried her up the stairs. "I believe that is a deal." She kissed Andrea before she laid her on the bed. "Are you sure you're ready?"

Andy nodded her head. "Mm hmm" fell from her lips as she kissed Miranda again.

Miranda reached out to pull Andy into a sitting position so that she could pull the t-shirt over the younger woman's head. "I will only go as fast as you wish Andrea."

Andy reached behind herself and undid her bra. "I believe this is fast enough. I'm ready Miranda"

_ _

v-v

 

"I know what she is Cass, I'm telling you she's just as cold as Mom."

Cassidy looked at her sister sideways. "Mom and Andy are not vampires Car."

"Cass I'm telling you. C'mon you have to believe me."

"You've read 'Twilight' too many times. Vampires can't go out in the day light anyway and Mom does it all the time."

"So what's your explanation for them being so cold?"

"Maybe it was cold in the kitchen, I don't know Car." Caroline huffed. "Stop being a baby about it."

"Fine, believe what you want. I'm telling you Cass."

"Why don't you ask them? Maybe they'll turn you into one too." Cassidy said sarcastically while turning her nose back into the book she had been reading.

"Whatever Cass I have my opinions, you can believe whatever you want."

 

_ _

v-v

 

Miranda and Andy came down the stairs as the girls came into the townhouse, as loudly as they could.

The first words out of Cassidy's mouth were "Caroline is convinced that you're vampires" she rolled her eyes as she walked past them to go into the kitchen to grab a snack.

"She...umm...I...ah."

"Spit it out Caroline."

"I don't...uh...really..."

"Caroline" Andy began to explain but was cut off by Miranda.

"What would you do if we were?"

Cassidy chose that moment to come back from the kitchen. "You can't be. Vampires aren't real."

Andy then had an idea and whispered it to Miranda under her breath faster than anyone would ever experience. "Can I growl at them or something?"

"No Andrea. We will explain this to them, it is time I told them the truth."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Miranda replied. "Girls please follow Andrea and I into the family room." The girls followed them. "Andrea has not been ill these past months. She was dead."

Caroline and Cassidy both gasped. Caroline was the one to voice the thought they both shared. "So it's true."

"Yes." Was Miranda's simple answer.

"You remember I was talking about my friend Lily. The one I couldn't contact." The twins nodded. "She was one too. She bit me the night your mom told you I was really sick."

"What happened to her?" Cassidy asked.

Miranda surprised them by answering "I killed her."

"No way." Caroline gasped more in 'that is so cool' way rather than a 'I don't believe it' way.

"Please try, Caroline, to suppress your enthusiasm." Miranda warned her. "You will not find it so cool when I tell you that the story I told you of your biological mother was of a false nature." Miranda looked down on the girls. "Your mother was bitten and drained by a vampire who was an acquaintance of mine."

"Really?" Cassidy asked not wanting to believe this for a minute.

"Yes. I interrupted him in his feeding off of your mother the night you were born. I then helped bring you into the world as your mother was dying. In her final moment she asked me to take care of you." The girls looked even more stunned, if it were possible. "I told everyone the story I first told you about your birth. No-one knew my real identity, until a few months ago when Andrea and I first begun dating. Nigel is the only other person."

Caroline was sitting with her mouth hanging open, while Cassidy rolled her eyes and said "you don't honestly expect us to believe that, do you? I mean you engineered this whole thing for the sake of Caroline and her stupid 'Twilight' fantasies."

"I can prove it. Watch very carefully Cassidy." Miranda ran out of the room and got a diet soda out of the fridge in the kitchen and returned in a less than a second. When she returned she let out a sigh. "It really does get easier the more I do it."

"I still don't believe it." Cassidy exclaimed. "You had that soda in your hands already, you didn't actually go anywhere."

Miranda walked over to Andy. Murmuring low she said "I am going to punch you very hard but not hard enough to break my house." Then louder she said "I am going to punch Andrea, harder than any one human would be able to stand."

As Miranda raised her fist Caroline cried "Mom no!"

"I'll be fine Caroline, promise." And they watched as Andy stayed standing without flinching as they heard, rather than saw, Miranda punch Andy. "See" Andy spread her arms wide "I'm fine."

"Wow!" Both twins said at the same time.

"But what about the daylight thing?" Cassidy asked.

"Do you shimmer like 'Edward'?" Caroline asked referring to the lead male character in the 'Twilight' series. 'Edward Cullen'.

"No I do not. I can go out in daylight, as you both well know, but I do not shimmer. I will not burst into flames. My face does not transform into anything hideous, I do have fangs, however they retract so no, you cannot see them."

Caroline thought over all of this information. "You've been a vampire for at least fourteen years if the man that killed our birth mom was an acquaintance. Exactly how old are you?"

"245 years old. That is from the time of my human birth not my vampiric transformation."

"Yikes." Caroline exclaimed. "Were you born in America?" Suddenly Caroline had many questions for Miranda. "How does being a vampire feel Andy?"

"Woah kiddo, slow down. I feel stronger but that's it concerning how it feels. It's pretty confusing and frustrating too." Andy explained. "As for your mom, no she wasn't born in America, at either time in her life."

"So where were you born mom?" Cassidy asked naturally curious now that the shock had worn off.

"Romania." Miranda answered simply. And the night continued with the twins asking countless questions of both Andy and Miranda.

_ _

v-v

Andy sighed as she sat against the head board. "What a night. Man, they had a lot of questions."

"I did not expect Cassidy to have quite so many. Caroline I could understand, she has always been more intrigued by paranormal things."

"I didn't expect either of them to be quite so inquisitive, it came as a surprise."

"Mmm." Miranda agreed as she sat next to Andy on the bed. "Are you ready to rest or would a different activity suffice?" She asked kissing the side of Andy's neck.

"Hmm, if you keep doing that, I wouldn't be averse to trying a different activity."

"Te iubesc, Andrea."

"I love you too Miranda, Acum si pentru totdeauna (now and forever)."

_ _

v-v

 

The End

_ _

v-v

 

**Author's Note:**

> I do not speak Romanian, it may or may not be correct --- I used an online translator at the time of writing - 
> 
> Edited to include a very heartfelt thanks to ares89 for the correct translations!!!!!!
> 
> Remember this came from my brain (shortly after the film came out, I have since become better in my writing - or think I have anyway)
> 
> No blowing up my comments section with hate... thanks.


End file.
